Wednesday, November 2, 2011

America Sucks!

John Stossel, preparing for a punching:
One sign of economic ignorance is the faith that "Buy American" is the path to prosperity. My former employer, ABC News, did a week's worth of stories claiming that "buying American" would put Americans back to work.

I'm glad I don't work there anymore.

"Buy American" is a dumb idea. It would not only not create prosperity, it would cost jobs and make us all poorer. David R. Henderson, an economist at the Hoover Institution, explained why.

"Almost all economists say it's nonsense," he said. "And the reason is: We should buy things where they're cheapest. That frees up more of our resources to buy other things, and other Americans get jobs producing those things."

This is what people always forget. Anytime we can use fewer resources and less labor to produce one thing, that leaves more for other things we can't afford. If we save money buying abroad, we can make and buy other products.
That's why Americans are making so much that nobody is unemployed.

The punching:

20 comments:

Dr.KennethNoisewater said...

Well, thank goodness for places like Wal-Mart who import cheap things from China. Who can afford to shop anywhere else nowadays? And thanks to mega-marts like Wal-Mart, it's nearly impossible to start up those small businesses that wingnuts are always pretending to fap about because mega-marts can always undercut the prices of pretty much every business in town.

Clownish money bunny Erin Burnett actually told us mockingly to take it easy on the Chinese and their poisoned goods because--hey--we wouldn't want to pay MORE for them, would we? Yes, she actually, on TV, knowing there was a camera on her, argued for poisoned products.

It's hard to argue with that kind of logic.

Dr.KennethNoisewater said...

OK, I just watched the video. That should be on a loop. Set to music.

Seriously though, I hope you're not making fun of Stossel's mad journalisming skillz. HE BROKE THE STORY THAT WRESTLING IS FAKE!

Substance McGravitas said...

THE STORY BROKE HIM!

Dr.KennethNoisewater said...

Oh, I chortled.

fish said...

Stossel's logic.

wiley said...

Believe it or not, there was a time when everything in Sears was made in America. I remember the economy being real good, then, too. That was the time when it was common to hear this ad:
"Look for the union label."

Three things I always buy that are still made in America and that are as good as top-shelf are Pyrex,
Rubbermaid, and Twenty Mule Team (Borax). I also buy Craftsman tools---don't know if some or all of them are made in America, but Craftsman hand tools have an unlimited lifetime warranty.
The hand tool lifetime warranty is also in effect on many Craftsman non-powered lawn and garden products including rakes, shovels, clippers, brooms, trowels, pruners, hoses, sprinklers, hose nozzles, and other small gardening hand tools.
My 126 piece wrench and socket set is made in America.

Can't beat that with a stick.

Dr.KennethNoisewater said...

Rubbermaid makes these, which is actually a really handy, well-made product. And you can get them in glass too, if you're plastic-averse.

J— said...

"Make other things, not things."

A catchy libertarian mantra that just makes sense.

Substance McGravitas said...

Somewhere I watched a television show that featured Rubbermaid and their ability to compete...maybe Frontline? They weren't actually doing all that well in the face of Wal-Mart imports.

And I see the current news is not great either.

Substance McGravitas said...

If it's good to Buy American," Henderson said, "why isn't it good to have Buy Alabaman? And if it's good to have Buy Alabaman, why isn't it good to have Buy Montgomery, Ala.? And if it's good to have Buy Montgomery, Ala. ..."

You get the idea. You wouldn't get very good stuff if everything you bought came Montgomery, Ala.


When in Montgomery Alabama be sure to go to Wal-Mart to get the Chinese-made barbecue sauce.

Also: isn't there some resonance to Montgomery Alabama? Just asking as a naïve outsider who couldn't possibly begin to understand what the import of Montgomery Alabama is to a bunch of stupid fucking maniacs.

Smut Clyde said...

All this talk about Rubbermaid is simultaneously triggering me and causing the hot-&-sweaty feeling.

Smut Clyde said...

HE BROKE THE STORY THAT WRESTLING IS FAKE!

Moar 'SPOILER TAGS' plz.

Big Bad Bald Bastard said...

We should buy things where they're cheapest. That frees up more of our resources to buy other things, and other Americans get jobs producing those things.

Things all the way down...

wiley said...

Yes, that Walmart stuff that I can't remember the name of has been beating the crap out of rubbermaid in the storage container game because of low prices, but the quality doesn't compare at all. The plastic on those things is brittle and the lids don't fit as well. It's a waste of non-biodegradable matter.

A rubbermaid container lasts for life and beyond, and you can restore it to an almost new finish with orange-kleen, some borax, and a scrub brush.

This is something I will go into at length on one of the subsidiary sections of my new website---Sun to Sun Solutions---it will include taped and written instructions with before and after pictures, and ads for all the products that I recommend.

I am so digging this. Clouds is looking up blog software and what he can do with it, as we speak. I adore working at home and am looking forward to working three jobs at home in my pajamas from pajamagram.com like the good American that I am.

wiley said...

I LOVE those Pyrex food storage containers. They nest and stack, and they can go from the freezer to the fridge to the microwave to the table. I'm getting more soon, and I'm definitely going to get Lemon Drop---my SG (surrogate daughter)--- a big set of them as a housewarming present when she gets an apartment.

When I lived in Germany, the garbage can that was picked up once a week was the size of a waster paper basket here, and that was all you needed. If you play your cards right, you can make that work here. I'm going to start a compost heap this year, and am going to make a lot of little bags for buying bulk products. I already have a large selection of bigger bags to prevent the mountain of plastic or paper bags I'd end up with if I didn't use my own.

The waste in this country is a crying shame.

Dr.KennethNoisewater said...

They weren't actually doing all that well in the face of Wal-Mart imports.

But we get cheap stuff from Wal-Mart, so SHUT UP.

Dragon-King Wangchuck said...

If Bastiat wasn't already dead, I would throw him through a window.

Smut Clyde said...

you can restore it to an almost new finish with orange-kleen, some borax, and a scrub brush.

There are so many applications for this advice.

Substance McGravitas said...

Rubbermaids should remain dirty.

wiley said...

Hey---if you want to get down and dirty with you rubbermaid---I don't judge.